Tag: healthy snacks

Ferrero Rawcher Bites

It’s only taken 8 years, but welcome to the new and improved BUSYINBROOKLYN site! I’ve modernized the design, cleaned up some of the old junk and here we are! Clean, simple, and dare I say millennial? That’s my new favorite word!

I would love to hear your feedback on how you like it and if there is anything I can do to improve the design! Leave a comment below to let me know!

The new blog style may be streamlined and fresh, but the food here is just what you’re used to. Fun new recipes with a twist!

If you’re a regular around here, you know that date & nut bites are my all time favorite snack – and these will look familiar. I’ve made these marzipan flavored ones in the past, and if you’re lucky enough to own my cookbook, you’ve probably tried the much-loved pecan pie bites that are a family staple.

If that’s not enough, I’ve also made them into fun hamantaschen and gingerbread truffles. And I’m testing other flavors as we speak. Because (repeat after me) DATE NUT BITES ARE THE WORLD’S GREATEST SNACK.

Ferraro Rawcher Bites
YIELD: approximately 25 bites

18 plump medjool dates, pitted
6oz. (1 heaping cup) hazelnuts, plus extra for garnish
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Maldon sea salt flakes, optional, for finishing

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes until the skins start to crack. Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and roll them around to remove the skins. Cool completely.

Add the dates, hazelnuts, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sea salt to a food processor and blend until nuts are finely chopped and evenly distributed – the mixture should stick together when pressed between your fingers.

Form the “dough” into small balls and press a hazelnut into the center, flattening it.

Place the chocolate chips into a Ziploc freezer bag and place in a mug or glass measuring cup. Pour boiling water over the bag and let it sit until the chocolate melts completely. Snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle the bites with chocolate. Finish with Maldon salt.

NOTE: These bites freeze great and can also be eaten frozen.

Related Recipes:

marzipan date truffles
cowboy cookie dough bites
gingbread truffles

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Marzipan Date Truffles

I must. must. must. discuss these beautiful photos!!! After much deliberation, I finally bit the bullet and upgraded to a new full frame sensor camera, the Canon 6D. Do I even need to tell you how amazing the full frame sensor is, or should I just let the photos do the talking (all unedited, straight out of the camera!)?

I know most of you are not here for the photography. OK maybe you enjoy the mouthwatering food, but you can do without the technical jargon. Let me just say that the camera sensor is what lets in the light and a bigger sensor = more light and more light = beautiful photos. That being said, my “studio” is in a pretty dark room with limited light so a larger sensor is really important for me. The full frame sensor also allows me to fit more into the frame of a photo so you get a wider view.


Sensor aside, the 6d also has wifi capability so I can set my camera on a tripod and connect to it via Canon’s app to take hands free photos! Taking photos on a tripod removes any possibility of camera shake so you get crystal clear, sharp photos. I’m so in love!

Speaking of which, I am also very much in love with this healthy, raw, vegan, 4-ingredient (if you don’t count the salt!) snack that’s become a staple in my house. Marzipan is one of my favorite flavors (hello 3-layer rainbow cookies!) and the pure almond extract really brings out that flavor in these guilt-free chews. With Tu B’shvat around the corner, they are just the thing!!

Marzipan Date Truffles

16 plump medjool dates, pit removed
1 cup raw almonds plus more for topping
2 tsp pure almond extract
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips, optional

Method:

Place the dates, almonds, almond extract and salt in the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attached. Blend until the mixture forms a dough and starts to clump up and pull away from the sides of the bowl (this may take a few minutes, depending on the quality of your machine). Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired (I like it to have a salted flavor).

With slightly damp hands, roll the date mixture into balls and press an almond into the top of each one.

If desired, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, or over a double boiler. Pour the chocolate into a Ziploc bag and snip off the corner. Drizzle chocolate over the truffles and refrigerate until solid.

Truffles may be kept at room temperature, but they last longer in the fridge or freezer.

NOTE: almond extract is what gives these truffles their marzipan flavor. If you’re not a fan, you may use less (start with 1/2 tsp) or use 1 tsp of vanilla extract instead.

YIELD: approximately 20 truffles.

Related Recipes:

Tu B’shvat truffles
date and almond hamantaschen
cowboy cookie dough bites
gingerbread truffles

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Falafel Cauliflower Poppers (Baked!)

You guysssss!!! This post makes me so excited, I have no words! OK, I always have words, many of them. But where shall I begin?

If you’re a dedicated follower of my blog, you know how much I love

  1. trendy recipes
  2. hybrid recipes
  3. ISRAELI recipes
  4. healthy makeover recipes

Am I right? Does that just about sum up my food blogger style or what?!

Well this here genius idea just about incorporates all of those passions! Cauliflower trend – check! Falafel/breaded cauliflower hybrid – check! Israeli recipes – Oh my god yes, check!! And healthy makeover recipes – definitely check, check!!

Ever since my crazy cauliflower nacho hack went ridiculously viral, I’ve been wanting to come up with an equally amazing cauliflower idea, and when Knorr sent me over some of their falafel mix, I knew I had it in the bag. And then I tasted them, and I was all “why hasn’t the whole world made these like every single day of their lives?!?!” Yup. You’re welcome.

Breaded cauliflower has always been a favorite snack of mine, but since they’re usually fried, I don’t have them too often. I also avoid using fresh cauliflower, since it’s such a pain to check for bugs (kosher law forbids the consumption of insects), so I came up with a recipe that solves all those problems! You’re welcome.

So, not only are these cauliflower poppers supremely delicious, they’re made with thawed frozen cauliflower (no checking necessary) and they’re baked, not fried! You wouldn’t believe it from the insanely crunching coating, but oh yes, they are practically guilt free. Did I say you’re welcome yet?

Speaking of which, I want to thank Knorr for making these semi-homemade poppers so easy to put together using their prepared falafel mix. I’ve not usually a fan of prepared mixes but falafel is an extremely time consuming effort – between soaking the beans, processing the mixture and frying the balls… I’m all for convenience in this case!

Convenience is the name of the game these days. With school out for most of the kids, I’ve got summer prep on my mind and lots to do. Plus the NYC heat is totally draining me and getting dinner on the table every night is not as easy as it used to be. I’m thankful for kid-friendly foods that might use some store bought ingredients to help me out – like bottled BBQ sauces for quick and easy pulled chicken/beef, frozen ravioli that I can just heat up with some marinara, and even pancake batter that makes breakfast a cinch. I may be a do-it-yourself, made-from-scratch gal at heart, but I’m a very practical mom IRL (in real life!). Summer conveniences, here we come!

Speaking of summer, make sure you put these on your NINE DAYS menu, will you? You can thank me later.

You’re welcome!

Falafel Cauliflower Poppers

24oz. frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 box (2 packets) Knorr falafel mix
olive oil cooking spray
prepared tahini, for serving

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Using paper towels, pat the cauliflower dry. Place the florets in a bowl. Set up a dredging station with the flour, eggs and falafel mix in separate containers.

Dip the florets in flour, shake off excess and dip in egg. Shake off excess and dip in falafel mix. Spread the breaded florets on a parchment lined baking sheet (don’t overcrowd the pan) and spray both sides generously with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Serve immediately with tahini for dipping.

This post was sponsored by Knorr Falafel. All opinions are my own. 

Related Recipes:

falafel latkes with harissa tahini
spinach falafel burger
smoked paprika popcorn cauliflower
cauliflower nachos

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Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging here at BUSYINBROOKLYN for the last five years. Yes, for almost five years (my blogoversary is in January) I have been consistently posting recipes and sharing my love and passion for food. It truly blows my mind.

If you’ve been following me since the early days (and I know some of you loyal readers have), you might remember a popular cookie that was one of my very first posts, these cowboy cookies. Why these kitchen-sink-style cookies are called cowboy cookies is anyones guess, but they are popularly made with oats, pecans, coconut and chocolate chips. The chunky cookies are so fantastic, I decided to create a healthy, vegan version using medjool dates, one of my favorite things. The result? They look like cookie dough, the taste like cookie dough, and they’re all natural. You gotta love that!

Now when you’re making a raw truffle, you have to go for good quality ingredients because nothing is getting cooked. That’s why I use my favorite brand of chocolate chips, California Gourmet. There’s a reason their popular blue and red bags are now available in over 300 stores, most recently available in Illinois. The rich and chocolaty pieces really take these truffles up a notch!

Ever since my family has been introduced to a slew of food allergies, I’ve been trying to find ways for all my kids to be able to enjoy treats like cookies, without using any eggs. My eldest daughter loves cookie dough (she always picks out that flavor in the Ice Cream store) and my youngest is positively obsessed with chocolate chips. A cookie dough truffle was definitely the way to go, but I never imagined that something so wholesome would taste SO GOOD, and so much like cookie dough. My next challenge? Making an egg-free birthday cake. Anyone have any suggestions?

With the big FIVE YEAR blogoversary coming up, I’m also taking suggestions on what improvements you’d like to see on the BIB blog, and new recipes and ideas that you’d like me to post in the coming months. Share your ideas, comments and suggestions with me below!

Cowboy Cookie Dough Bites

12 medjool dates
1 cup oats (I used quick oats but rolled oats may be used as well)
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 tbsp flax seeds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt
scant 1/4 c California Gourmet chocolate chips

Method:

Add all the ingredients, besides for the chocolate chips, to a food processor and process until the mixture comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl (this may take a minute or two). Add in the chocolate chips and knead it into the “dough” by hand. With damp hands, roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into balls. Makes approximately 15 cookie dough bites.

NOTE: I used large, fresh and moist medjool dates for this recipe, If you’re dates are not very moist, you can soak them in hot water for a few minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, you can add more dates. If it seems very sticky (a little sticky is normal), you can add a bit more oats or nuts.

I want to offer a huge congratulations to California Gourmet for winning the NEW PRODUCT award (in the baking category) from Kosherfest this year! You truly deserve the honor!

This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   View the list of over 300 stores that carry the brand here).

Related Recipes:

cowboy cookies
grape nut coconut crunch cookies
oatmeal breakfast cookies (oil-based!)
gingerbread date truffles

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Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

Ahh, za’atar, a delicious spice blend of sumac, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and salt – there’s nothing quite like it!

When my grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter was recently featured in a lineup of za’atar recipes on The Huffington Post, I knew I had to reach for the Middle Eastern spice once again.

People are always asking me for healthy snack recipes that they can make on a whim. And I always suggest my go-to diet snack – roasted chickpeas. I give lots of savory & sweet ideas in this old post, but it’s buried deep into my blog, and it doesn’t get much attention. So here we are again with this new za’atar variation – my favorite flavor of all!

Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tbsp za’atar
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Pour the chickpeas onto a kitchen towel and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with za’atar and salt. Stir to coat evenly and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until crispy. Eat immediately.

Other Za’atar Recipes:

honey roasted za’atar chicken with dried fruit
grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter
malawach cheese pastries with dipping sauce

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